Horses in the Wind
by FlowerCrazy
Summary: This story picks up after the beginning of the second season of Jeremiah after Libby was killed.
1. Chapter 1

This story picks up during the second season of Jeremiah, a month or so after Libby was killed and Jeremiah is now helping run/organize Millhaven. I've seen a good number of Jeremiah episodes but not all of them. I've not seen the ending of the second season either so this story is set before the big confrontation with 'Daniel' in the east.

Jeremiah is not mine to own. All rights and entitlements are owned by Luke Perry and J. Michael Straczynski, plus those who produced and own the whole dog and pony show.

Mal is my creation, part of my twisted and wicked mind.

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The attacks had started shortly after Libby was killed. Jeremiah spent most of his time putting out 'fires' around the town of Millhaven. Things seemed to be happening too fast for him and he was frustrated and flustered more often than not. Kurdy and Mister Smith had gone back to Thunder Mountain to report on what had transpired at the last two towns they had tried to recruit. Marcus took it all in and spent many long hours sequestered with other members of the Allied states, trying to come up with a solution.

They knew they had to keep trying to get people to join them but if the news of the attacks began to spread out among the other small towns, there would be no hope of unifying them all. Kurdy and Smith were sent back out to other towns in hope of negotiating some form of arrangement with them. It was long hours, arguments, heated tempers and trying to find something that would help unify everyone against a common enemy that meant them harm.

Jeremiah kept to himself unless he was needed for something official in the town. The printer of the newspaper had received a letter from Marcus and the Allied Council explaining as much as they could about why they wanted to do things a certain way, what they hoped to accomplish and trying to basically rally the people without terrifying them into decisions by scaring them with 'stories' about Daniel's troops. The article was printed and then several bundles were sent to other towns to be distributed. It helped some in the cause to get people thinking about what they wanted from their lives.

Jeremiah walked the town night after night after most had sought their beds, patrolling the hills and roads around Millhaven. He slowly began to draft the few that were interested in helping to set up hidden stands outside of town where they could get clear views of the roads, hills and surrounding area for any signs of disturbance. This was mainly to help get an early warning to everyone in the town if danger was approaching. Each lookout was equipped with radios, flare guns and each watcher was armed. He met with several of the 'town elders' to discuss evacuation plans that might work if the town was set upon. If warning came in time, people could already be prepared to take only what little they needed and disappear into the hills at pre-determined locations that couldn't be easily reached except by foot.

As word spread of this about town, people began to open up a bit more. A town meeting was called and plans were explained. Everyone was to have a pack ready to grab that had dry goods for food, water, a change of clothes and a blanket. If everyone had one they could grab easily enough, they could leave all else behind, knowing it was better to escape with your life and come back later than to end up in the back of one of Daniels trucks headed for a work camp.

Marcus made a stop a month later to find that Jeremiah had withdrawn into himself for the most part, keeping to himself unless he was needed for something in town and patrolling the borders at night. The anger gnawed away at his belly and Marcus knew he would have to do something about Jeremiah soon or he would soon disappear one night and no one would ever see him again because he'd track down Libby's killer and the outcome would probably not be in Jeremiah's favor. Marcus doubted that even Devon could consol his son on this.

As Marcus toured the town, he noticed the change in attitude of the people. They seemed a bit more at ease, a bit more confident about the world around them. When he asked the newspaper editor what had changed, Frank gave him the strangest look and then explained the subtle changes they had incorporated and taken to heart from the guard towers to the children sneaking about the woods to help watch for others and the packs everyone had prepared and by their back doors in case they had to quickly leave when warning was given of danger. He explained that there were about four meeting places up in the hills that had to be reached by foot or horse back. Everyone knew where they were and different ways to get there.

Marcus looked incredibly impressed and with a little haggling, got Frank to promise to write up this information in a format that could be easily understood and print a multitude of copies that could be delivered to other towns for the people to read. It might help give people a sense of purpose and that they could plan ahead. It might also help if these newspapers showed up a few days before Kurdy and Smith made it to their town to ask if they wished to join the alliance. Frank finally agreed and went to work that night, trying to plan out what to put in the articles and papers.

Before he could set the print on the machine, it was his turn to spend the night in one of the hunting blinds set up as a lookout point. He quietly loaded his gun and pulled on his heavy coat, shutting and locking the door behind him. He was to join Jeremiah on part of his patrol as a request from Marcus to help keep an eye on him for the time being. Frank knew what Jeremiah was going through. He'd lost his wife to illness a few years back. He had been totally helpless to do anything to save her and she died in her sleep before he could tell her how much he loved her. He would walk the silent walk with Jeremiah tonight, hoping to give support and silent understanding.

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Jeremiah was woke by the pounding of someone on his front door shortly after he'd crashed out on the couch to catch a few hours of sleep. He had taken to sleeping on the couch after Libby died, not wanting to sleep in the bed they had shared for a time. The memories were too severe and he had shut the door to the room and left it shut, preferring to sleep on the couch instead.

He groaned and pulled himself up and stumbled to the door. When he pulled it open, ready to yell at whoever had awaken him, he saw that it was Frank. Frank had spent the entire night with him on patrol had said he was going to go catch a few hours of sleep as well before setting up the press to run off a newspaper that would get distributed to the other small towns. "Frank. What the hell are you doing up? Thought you were going to get some sleep?" he asked, pushing the door of his house open to invite Frank in.

Frank could be a real jerk sometimes and a real busy body but he meant well in the end. Frank stepped in and looked like he had buzzed on some heavy caffeine or something before coming over. He waved a printed newspaper in front of Jeremiah's face until he took it. "Look at this! Just look! Someone came into my home last night and set up the press and ran this off."

Jeremiah took the paper and slowly opened it to the main page. Across the top was a different printed logo than what he was used to seeing. The name of the paper was different too. 'Free Spirited Press' and the date it had been printed. Jeremiah looked at the four pages of the paper and the article headlines before looking up at Frank. "So someone did all the work for you. What's the problem?"

Frank blinked, "But these aren't my articles. They…They're fantastic! I've never seen writing so elegant and yet to the point. Easy to read articles because the words flow across the pages. It's a masterpiece but I have no idea who did it. Nothing was disturbed in the shop except the printing press and this copy. I ran another copy off myself to make sure it was the same thing on the press. Its ingenious!" he stated, practically jumping up and down for joy.

Jeremiah sat at the kitchen table, looking at the paper then up at him. "What makes it ingenious?" he asked.

Frank entered the kitchen and paced. "It is almost exactly what Marcus would have wanted me to do. We talked about doing a paper to send out to other communities to describe what we've done here in Millhaven to prepare for any danger or to give us early warning. But this goes a step beyond. It also describes the Articles of the Allied States that have been agreed upon, what some of the goals of Thunder Mountain are. It describes in general knowledge about what Daniel has been doing with people from these small towns he takes over, what he's doing in the big cities like Chicago and New York. I couldn't find any false information in that part, nothing that would be construed as propaganda. They remind us in another article what it means to be free, what our founding fathers were trying to create and how life now is much like it was for the people back then. In a way, it is trying to get people to think about how they value their freedom right now and that if we don't work to protect it and fight to keep it, the article makes us remember what it is we could loose."

Jeremiah watched Frank pace back and forth. "Do you know of anyone in town that knows how to work a printing press besides you?"

Frank shook his head, "No. That's just it. I had a lot to learn about it before I could make it fully functional. I'm sure there are still a few things about it that I'm not certain of yet. But whoever did this knew what they were doing and how to do it quickly. Something like this would take me two days to set up and they did it in only eight hours."

Jeremiah looked down at the newspaper again. He motioned to the stove, "Make yourself some tea or something and sit. Give me a chance to read it before you look at putting it to press."

Frank nodded and went over and started heating some water. He then fixed eggs and toast for the two of them and set it out on the table with hot tea. He couldn't sit still. He felt as if the rug had been pulled out from under him. Thing was, it didn't seem to matter because he was flying right now. He knew he should be angry by someone intruding into his home but what they had left was priceless. There was a whole page dedicated to being prepared, how to build tree stands and where good places would be as well as even building hidden look out burms out in the open on the prairies.

Jeremiah took his time reading through each page. When he finally finished the last page, he folded the paper up and set it on the table. He was silent for a time. "You're right. It is a masterpiece. Make as many copies as you feel safe doing and I'll see they get to these other towns somehow. Whoever did this was wise to not put our name in it or the name of where the paper originated. It won't take a genius to figure it out if anyone knows where there's a working press, but it gives for some plausible deniability."

Frank nodded enthusiastically. "See. I told you! It's fantastic!" He rubbed his hands together and quickly left Jeremiah sitting alone at the kitchen table. He stared at the paper that Frank had left, knowing he was looking at history in the making. Even he had to admit that he felt inspired and almost energized by what he had read. But he had a duty to fulfill and the need for sleep was clawing at him.

He went to the hutch where he kept his radio to charge it. He tuned it into the frequency needed for Thunder Mountain and gave his code as he called in, looking for Marcus.


	2. Chapter 2

Soon after the paper was distributed, a report came in from a small town that had been attacked by Daniel shortly after they had agreed to join the Allied States. That group of people had been kept separated from the others at the work camp they had been taken to because Daniel had wanted to make a final example of them. The towns people had been loaded back up into truck to be taken elsewhere.

But somewhere along the way, something had happened to the drivers and several someone's had driven the trucks back to the small town they had come from and stopped them there. Whoever had driven them back to their home had turned off the engines and then disappeared. The guards had all mysteriously disappeared and the only thing people could recall was everyone being extremely sleepy and falling asleep during the trip. When they came to, they were home and unguarded.

This left many of the council members and people in neighboring communities completely baffled. After sending Kurdy and Mister Smith to verify that people had indeed been returned home, they volunteered to help those that wanted to leave the town to move to a different community. Millhaven still had many empty houses and they already had protections and watches set up to guard the town. Some were willing and were quick to gather their belongings to leave. The few elders left of the city all agreed that the trucks they were carried in should disappear and that those that decided to stay would begin preparations to watch, guard and protect those left behind in case Daniels goons were to return.

Two days later, Kurdy returned to the small town with a large load of supplies from food to building materials, tools and other items they might need to help get things accomplished faster. He brought several of the people from Thunder Mountain that had been working to come up with better ideas and plans for hit and run tactics that would delay any oncoming attackers, giving people in towns more time to get scattered into the countryside. They knew they could help these people clear away the few buildings that had been burned and help put lives back together.

Kurdy made sure that the elders understood that this was not a way to get them to rejoin the Allied States, but those at Thunder Mountain found it their duty to make right the wrongs that had befallen them by the hands of Daniels minions because of what they had agreed to do. Nothing more was discussed but Kurdy could tell that within a few weeks time, the people were beginning to realize that their freedom and their way of living was worth the fight and it seemed to slowly change the way they felt about the Allied States and their roll in protecting their right to live free.

Marcus could only marvel at the slow change that they were beginning to encounter. Envoys from other towns began to slowly make their way to Millhaven to meet up with Jeremiah or to be put in contact with Thunder Mountain so that negotiations could be made to allow them to join. Jeremiah was kept busy with the influx of people coming from other communities and trying to keep the peace while making sure supplies were getting to where they needed to go. His anger continued a slow burn as no word of Libby's killer could be found.

*****

As summer progressed on, towns were reporting in that they had managed to escape from Daniel's people by using the tactics they had worked out to give early warning and escape routes. Daniel's people were leaving empty handed again and again. Marcus knew though that it wouldn't be too long before the cases of coming back empty handed would cause Daniels goons to do something drastic.

Frank found another issue of the 'Free Spirited Press' done up one morning after he had been out on watch. It was another simple four pages front and back, filled with news from the small towns that had survived Daniels' attacks, news on the group of towns people that had found themselves mysteriously returned to their town and the stories they told of what life was like in the work camps.

There were new articles on the history of the War of Independence against the British and how small groups of Minute Men and local mallitia fighters were able to drive the British back or keep them at bay by using gorilla warfare tactics of hit and runs, disabling and then hiding before injury could be done. The story sighted several books that the research had been found in and reminded people that one must simply look to the past for answers to the future.

Marcus had been in town the morning Frank came running up to Jeremiah with the new issue, waving it around until Marcus took the paper and began to read it for himself. When he finished, he handed it to Jeremiah and looked at Frank. "We still don't know who has done this?" he asked.

Frank simply shook his head as Jeremiah read the paper himself. It was again, another masterpiece. Someone was a very good wordsmith, very informed and well educated. The paper was again free of any tell tale signs of where it originated from. Even the name of the towns were somewhat obscured in the articles to protect them from dire retribution at the hands of Daniel.

Frank was given the all go to print up as many copies of it as he could an Marcus would make sure they were delivered like the first set, fanning them out across trade routes, amongst travelers and beyond. Word would spread faster than ever with this edition of the 'Free Spirited Press'.

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As summer progressed into fall, new stories were coming out of the east from the plains. Daniels troops were beginning to fall back away from certain areas. From the sounds of things, any troops found west of the Mississippi river were systematically killed or sent packing. Work camps were abandoned by those that were left to run them and people by the hundreds were set free, allowed to scavenge the remains of the camp for food, weapons, clothes, tools and whatever else they could find. Many of these people fled west, back across the plains, taking their stories to the towns that would take them in.

The only thing that disturbed those in Thunder Mountain is that no matter how many times people were questioned on how they were freed, who freed them and who was driving Daniel's people back across the river, the only answers they would get were either 'I don't know. It just happened.' or 'Ghosts of the dead come back to get revenge'. There were some that liked to make up wild stories but anyone that talked with multiple of these people from the work camps knew that no one had any idea of how they were freed and to whom they owed their thanks.

Marcus finally had to make a decision he wasn't sure if he would like or not but it had to be done. He called together Kurdy, Jeremiah and Mister Smith to Thunder Mountain. He explained that he needed intelligence on what was happening out there. What was causing Daniel to retreat back across to the East side of the Mississippi and stay there. There was obviously another party involved but who or how, no one had anything on. It was to be their job to find out who or what was behind this shift.

After planning out their route and getting supplied, they set out at dawn on a cool early fall morning. Their route would take them from town to town along the major routes to the Mississippi River in hopes of finding evidence as to who was able to send Daniel's people packing. The prairie states of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri were almost like ghost towns. Large herds of cows, buffalo and horses were seen roaming from one area to the other. Fences had been cut long ago or fence posts had rotted and fallen over to allow the animals free range wherever they went.

They encountered very few people and when they did, the people were usually very weary of anyone and often refused to come close enough to hold a decent discussion. The guys usually left a few issues of the 'Free Spirited Press' and moved on to the next town on the map. Nights were spent plotting out the next route and dawn brought another long day of driving. By the time they hit Kansas, they found the remains of one of the work camps. There was nothing left but a charred skeleton of structures and even that was beginning to collapse. No bodies were found, no supplies and no vehicles were located either.

They moved on until they finally came to the Mississippi mid-day. The bridge they had come upon was completely blocked solid by multiple burned hulks of vehicles, one on top of another from army carriers to pick up trucks. It was impossible for anyone to get across the bridge either east or west without having to move hundreds of cars. The thing that got Kurdy laughing about it was that the cars all looked like they belonged to one of Daniel's groups at some time or another due to the roll cages and modifications made to them. But they were nothing but burned out hulks now. As they continued up the river, they realized that all the bridges were blocked as the first one was.

As their supply of gas was beginning to run low, they had reached as far as Minnesota. They had set up camp for the night in an old campground that had seen use from time to time. Nights were much colder now that they were farther north and fall was in full force. The fire was fueled by cow chips long since dried but it freaked Kurdy out a little when Smith threw a few on the fire. Expecting some horrible smell, he had to admit that the fire didn't stink like he thought it would once it got going. Jeremiah kept to himself as he did most of the time, listening to the other two banter back and forth while they waited for supper to finish cooking.

When supper was but a memory and the fire was beginning to burn down a little, Jeremiah had been watching a small flame flickering on the edge of a log when he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Smith was telling Kurdy about something he'd heard on the road when Jeremiah made a shushing noise. Both looked up at him and grew silent. As Jeremiah's hand slid towards the riffle next to him, he saw something that could have made even the most cynical believe in ghosts.

On the very edge of the shadows that were chased away by the firelight stood six Indians in shades of gray, dressed as if they had stepped out of photos from the old west. Each carried a riffle, cradled in their arms with visible quivers of arrows over their backs with bows strung and hooked to them. They looked stoic, severe and yet calm. Their eyes didn't seem to focus on those around the campfire. The one dressed a bit differently than the others, sporting head covering of a coyote's full pelt, head included, stepped forward.

The muzzle of the Coyote overshadowed the face of the wearer. The eyes of the coyote flashed in the firelight, reflecting back at those around the fire as if the animal were alive. Kurdy and Smith sat absolutely still but Jeremiah stood slowly, leaving his riffle where it sat. "Who are you?" he asked more out of curiosity than of a demand.

The voice spoke, sounding as though it was coming from far away even if they stood only a few feet in front of him. "You have come to seek answers." Came the distant voice. "The Great Spirit has sent us to give you warning of a great battle that will come soon upon the plains." The Coyote man moved his head slightly as if listening, causing the eyes of the animal to flash again. "You must be prepared or all will be lost. You will have some time to prepare but use it wisely. You will find one that knows of the old ways but lives in the now. This one will help you to defeat the demon from the east."

Coyote man was silent now. Jeremiah looked slowly around at the others who seemed utterly still even though the wind had picked up some. He finally looked back to the being in front of him. "Who are you? How have you done all of this?" he asked, motioning towards the direction of the Mississippi River.

The 'ghost' looked at him again, his features sharper and more defined than it seemed a moment ago. "Even now, the 'Free Spirit' has spread east with words of wisdom and tales of freedom that have begun to sow decent among those that are slaves of this demon. Soon they will realize that they outnumber those that hold their leashes. Many lives will be lost in the conflict when that day comes but a great leader will rise from the destruction that will begin to heal the wounds of old."

Jeremiah looked at him, trying to figure out if he was real or not. He took a step back to begin leaving the ring of light cast by the fire. As he took another step back, he slowly began to fade into the shadows as the others moved silently away as well. "The battle will come morning after the moon bleeds upon the earth." Jeremiah blinked at this and looked at the others before looking back to realize that no one was there.

Kurdy jumped up and began to walk out in a circle, looking for evidence that someone was really out there but there was little to be found and no sound was made in the deep quiet of the fall night. When they reconvened at the fire, Smith had been staring at the fire for some time. Kurdy had to call his name out several times before he responded. Finally Smith blinked and looked at the other two. He shivered visibly and looked away. "God said to tell you that the words spoken were true. He said nothing else as to if those were ghosts or ….whatever."

Smith seemed visibly shaken and Jeremiah suggested he sleep in the back of the truck that night that he and Kurdy would take the watch shifts. Smith didn't argue and went to crawl into the back of the truck. Kurdy couldn't find words to express himself so he remained silent until it was time for him to sleep while Jeremiah took first watch.


	3. Chapter 3

The next two days of travel back towards Thunder Mountain lead them through South Dakota towards the Bad Lands. The rolling hills and large open spaces seemed strange to those that had never seen them before. The land was shaped different here than elsewhere. Hundreds of billboards were falling down, most advertising something called Wall Drug. Usually something like this would cause conversation in the truck but little was said amongst the three as they traveled, their minds locked onto what they had experienced at the campground.

Kurdy was worried about their level of gas and wasn't sure if they had enough to get them back to Colorado or not. That night as they camped near the Wyoming boarder, they were in the perfect spot to witness a spectacular sight. A low rumble had started and the ground began to slowly build with a rumbling vibration. Finally as the three made their way to the top of a ridge to see over the valley below, they witnessed hundreds of mustang horses flying down over the hills into the valley below with necks stretched out and tails flagged. Amongst the stampeding horses were several people on bareback, doing the most amazing things as they vaulted from one horse's back to another. The horses never faltered or shied as they continued to run with the herd.

Kurdy looked like his breath had been taken away and he found it hard to breath at the sight of it all. Smith stood and stared in awe as the mass of horseflesh ran up one hill and turned back on itself to head further down into the valley. After a few minutes, the herd began to slow and finally just as the sun set, come to a meandering stop. The steam from their breath could be seen rising as their body heat showed in the cool air as steam coming off the horse's bodies.

The three men sat and watched as the riders, all on horses without saddles or bridles, came together as if to discuss something. There were about ten of them all told. Finally one of them with a worn out brown hat and long black braids came towards them as the others headed off into another direction. The horseman let the Mustang pick its way across the open field and up the hillside until they pulled up to the group of men.

The person shoved their hat back off their head and smiled at them. It slowly dawned on them that it wasn't a man but a woman that was sitting easily on a wild mustang in front of them. She nodded to them, "Hey-ya." She said in a friendly manner. "You here to trade?" she asked.

All three men simply stared at her, Smith mouth actually hanging open a little. She smiled a little wider, "Or perhaps you are here to imitate a big bass, yes?" she said, speaking in a bit of an accent, laughter in her voice.

Jeremiah was the first to recover, "Actually, we were setting up camp when we heard the noise. We came to investigate." He looked down at the horses in the valley, "Never seen anything like it before." He stated.

The woman smiled, smile lines showing around the corners of her mouth and crows feet around her eyes. She was definitely Native American from the dark reddish skin to the long black hair. She sat with an easy grace on the back of the horse that she road which had taken an interest in the grass up on the hill. "We are moving the herds together some to take south for the winter. Going to be a hard winter this year." She said looking up at the sky as if to confirm something she was certain of.

Kurdy and Smith had finally shaken themselves loose of the bit of shock they'd found themselves in. Kurdy spoke up, "How were you able to move from horse to horse without one of them bucking you off? Are they all tame like this one?"

The woman laughed and patted the horses neck, "Him? Naw, he thinks I'm just some strange herd mate. They all do. Besides, most of these Mustangs have known me since they were born. Same with the others of my tribe. They are like big dogs, yes?" she said with an impish grin about her face.

Jeremiah blinked, "Tribe? As in Indian Tribe?"

She faked a frown and tsked. "Sixteen years ago, calling us Indians might get you thrown out by those who thought themselves politically correct. Now, we're just Indians again. Easier than saying Native Americans. Besides, America no longer really exists, yes?" she asked.

Smith chuckled at that and she turned her eyes to Mister Smith who still was looking at her in awe, "Ah! You must be the Laughing Bass. I can see that you have been 'touched' by the Great Spirit. You are always welcome at the fire." She said as she shifted to relax forward on the back of the mustang.

Smith suddenly looked embarrassed and it was Kurdy's turn to laugh. Jeremiah looked back at the woman. "You spoke of trade earlier. What kind of trade?"

The woman snorted, "For horses of course. Soon the gas will all go away and you'll have to get around somehow, yes? We have the best horses, all bred to be hardy to cold winters and hard workers if treated right." She said with pride in her voice.

Jeremiah raised an eyebrow, "Well, actually, if you have any gas, we'd be willing to trade with you for it. We need to get back to Colorado and soon."

She watched the three of them for a moment, "My name's Moves As Lynx, but everyone calls me Mal."

Jeremiah nodded, "I'm Jeremiah, this is Kurdy and that's Mister Smith." He said as he pointed to each one of them.

Mal blinked, "Mister Smith…much better than Laughing Bass. Kurdy it is a pleasure and Jeremiah, like the prophet in the Great Spirits Book. So, you have come upon the Horse Tribe. We are a mixture of tribes and after the Big Death we all decided that it didn't matter about our past so much as joining together to have survive and have a future. Since we all came from tribes with horses, we combined the herds as we combined our people and we're now just the Horse Tribe. There are other tribes but most of them are north and keep hidden."

Kurdy nodded a little, "Makes sense. Most of us have had to put old beliefs aside to be able to survive. Now we're traveling to see if we can gather others to us in hopes of making a large tribe to protect ourselves from Daniel."

Mal made a sudden gesture and spit on the ground. Her face turned angry. "He is a demon and has a rock for a heart and dung for guts. He's tried to take some of our people in the past for his work camps but he soon learned we would not be taken so easily. But, because he was stupid and underestimated us, we now have a bunch of trucks with gas in them." She said smiling brightly.

Kurdy blinked and looked at her, "You…took their trucks?" he asked.

She nodded a little, "Yah and put them face down in empty graves so their spirits would not walk in this world again."

Smith spoke up, "How…many were there that you killed?"

She broke into laughter, "Oh, I only killed a few like the other warriors of the tribe, but the horses accounted for more than all of us together. All told we buried thirty six." She waved a hand a little as if swatting away that line of conversation as they stood and stared at her, "Come to the fire. It is getting dark and the cold will be setting in. We have stew and bread. You can trade for gas in the morning." She said. She pointed over her shoulder at the small group of tents set up around a central fire. "We camp down there tonight. Tomorrow we wait for the rest of the herds to join us before moving south in a few days."

Jeremiah nodded, "Thanks. Mind if we get our truck and bring it closer?"

She shrugged lazily, "You can take the truck to the top of that ridge there." She said pointing north. "The road basically ends there at a ranch. Bring your gear with you to share our fire tonight." With that, she gave a spoken command to the horse which simply lifted its head and turned back towards the herd. It picked up its steps to a trot, carrying Mal on its back. She gave a salute wave and let the horse take her where it will.

Kurdy looked over at Jeremiah who looked back at him. "I have to say that that…was the most interesting person I've met in some time….Mister Smith not included." He said with a laugh.

Jeremiah smirked a little but didn't smile much about it. His eyes followed the fading shape in the dusk of the coming night. She was strong inside and out, that much he could tell. Fiesty and full of spirit, but her smile was something itself to behold. The three men walked back to the beginnings of their own camp and packed up what little they had gotten out so far. They moved the truck up the road and parked it near a delapetated building that must be what the refered to as the ranch.

They pulled out their packs and hiked down into the valley past several clusters of horses that snorted a little, whickering a slight warning of the strangers approaching. They finally made it to the fire that was a pleasant warmth and the air about it was filled with the talk of a number of people. There were more than ten people in camp but they didn't seem to mind the close quarters. Bowls were being passed around filled with stew that could make a dead mans mouth water.

They were encouraged to sit down and soon after were handed bowls of fresh flat bread and stew. There was a mixed bag of languages being spoken, mixed liberally with English here and there. Everyone seemed to speak with a similar accent as Mal had talked with earlier. The three men sat around, taking in the faces and voices that came within sight and hearing of them. They were never made to feel left out of the fun and festivities around the fire. Soon a drum was produced and two beaters sat at it, putting out a tempo as one of the camp women sang a song in her own language. Several got up and danced around the fire some, pulling Mister Smith in to dance with them.

This continued for a time and when the moon finally rose over the hill of the valley the crowd around the fire began to slowly make their way into their tents. Mal had been mostly absent except a glimpse here or there as she spoke with others, laughing and motioning with her hands at perhaps something that had happened earlier in the day. When there were very few left but two that were to stay guard on the camp and fire until the next turn, Mal moved over to them. "We have an extra tent we have set up for several coming in tomorrow. You may use it tonight if you wish. It's not much but it will keep the dew off your things." She pointed to a small tent that had been set up. It looked deceptively small but when they entered it, they found there was plenty of room for the three of them to stretch out, each in a different direction.

After a few minutes of shifting their gear around, they settled and soon found themselves dropping off to sleep. Morning would come too quickly and they had duties to fulfill.


	4. Chapter 4

The morning was punctuated by the sound of horses calling to one another, small fights and two stallions battling over something. The sun was barely up when Jeremiah climbed out of the tent, looking rumpled as usual. Several people sat around the fire as breakfast was being started. Mal came out of one tent a few minutes later, looking a bit wet as if she had just finished a bath. She smiled at Jeremiah as he saw her with her hair unbraided. She was in the process of brushing out the wet strands before braiding them. He was shocked to see how long her hair really was. He realized he was staring and blushed a little as she chuckled at him.

"You slept well?" she asked as her fingers seemed to make quick work of the first braid as if by practice and repetition.

He nodded and yawned, "Yeah. Was nice to not have to take a watch shift during the night. First night in over a month that I've had a full nights sleep." He said as he stretched.

Her eyes appraised what she saw as he stretched and she raised a delicate eyebrow but said nothing other than nodding. She finished off the second braid and tied off the end. She pulled on a hand made blanket coat and her worn out brown hat. She pointed to their tent, "You have breakfast and then we trade. Of course, you could always stay a few days to help with camp and herds to pay for the gas instead." She said with a grin.

Jeremiah raised an eyebrow in turn. "Perhaps but we've got news to deliver to those that sent us."

Mal watched him for a long moment and he realized that her eyes were a gray-blue color and not brown like he thought the day before. Finally she spoke, but it was in a much more serious tone than he was used to her speaking in. "Yes, you have much to tell of your travels that will help in the future to come. Those in the mountain that thunders will soon find themselves at war with the demon of the east." She stated.

She was quiet a moment longer then shrugged. "So…breakfast first. We have eggs and oatmeal. Protein and starch for a long day of work and travel, yes?" she commented as she went over to the fire to see what was available. She soon came over with a bowl of oatmeal, a spoon standing up in it, and a piece of flatbread filled with eggs. She handed them to Jeremiah, "The oatmeal looks bad but it is very tasty with spices and honey. Trust me…I won't lie to you." She said with a wink as she turned and went back to get food for herself.

Jeremiah took a hesitant bite and after he managed to get it to dislodge from the roof of his mouth he had to admit that she was right. He came over and sat by the fire as he ate, enjoying the warmth found there as he watched the camp come awake. Mal sat across the fire from him, silent and thoughtful looking for the time being. He enjoyed the early morning silence that came out in the open like this. There were small noises but the overall clamor and chatter of Thunder Mountain or even Millhaven was loud compared to what little there was to hear in this camp.

Kurdy and Mister Smith soon joined him at the fire and each got the same that Jeremiah did. Several of the Indians laughed at the face Kurdy made when he took the first bite of oatmeal and it seemed to stick his mouth together. Jeremiah noticed that Mister Smith seemed preoccupied with staring at Mal. She seemed to notice it but then chose to ignore it as she went back to her camp when she was done eating. The three men decided it was time to find out what the gas would cost them and what they had to trade when Mal finally reappeared, pulling on an old leather duster and hat. "Gonna rain today." She said as she looked up at the clear morning sky.

The three men looked up and blinked at her before trying to ignore that statement. Jeremiah stepped forward with his pack, "So, what can we trade to you for the gas? Anything you need?" he asked.

Mal looked up the hill at their truck and then back at them. She seemed quiet for a minute and then spoke, a serious tone to her voice again. "Take what you need that will get you back to Colorado. Call it a favor to you from me. Never know when some day we or I might need a favor, yes?" she said as she looked at each of them.

Jeremiah blinked, "Surely we have something to trade for the gas or something we can get you."

She shook her head, "I have a dry place to sleep each night, warm blankets for when it gets cold, clothes on my back and food in my belly. I have friends and horses. I consider myself rich. What else do I need?"

Jeremiah looked at Kurdy who raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Sounds like you pretty much have it covered. Are you sure we can take what gas we need?" he tried to verify one last time.

She nodded, then smiled that interesting smile of hers that wrinkled the lines around her mouth and at the corner of her eyes. She looked about to say something when Mister Smith spoke up, almost in an even voice. "God says to tell you this. You know your way to where you must go. But the road before you will be treacherous and you must be ready to make sacrifices for the common good of all." Mister Smith then blinked as if suddenly aware of what was around him.

Mal was watching him with eyes that were half shaded by her hat, making it hard to truly read them. She was silent for the longest moment and then nodded. "Go in peace and prosperity. May your travels be safe." With that, she turned and headed off at a liesurly pace towards the horse herd and the riders already setting up to help bring in other herds and keep them corralled.

Krudy gave Mister Smith a 'look' and got a shrug in return. Jeremiah turned and headed up the hill to the truck. When they reached the top, they saw the six trucks sitting off to the side near an old ranch house who's roof had fallen in years ago, possibly even before the Big Death. After a quick check, they found five of the six to be filled with gas, most tanks running about half full. They quickly got the draw lines set up and the gas cans were being quickly filled. They only drained two of the five active haulers and then prepared to leave.

Jeremiah went back over to the hill top overlooking the valley. He saw a small herd of horses being driven into the area and in the distance he heard a low rumble that made him look to the south west in time to see a distant strike of lightening and the heavy gray clouds that heralded rainy weather. He sighed and they quickly got in the truck and took off for the last leg of their journey.


	5. Chapter 5

Snow had been falling for several days, slowly piling up and blowing into drifts around the entrance of Thunder Mountain. The crews had gone out and tried to clear what they could from the roads to keep things open but for once, they found themselves unable to truly keep up with it. By the third day of the steady fall of snow, Marcus called off any attempts to keep the roads passable until it let up.

They'd sent messages out to the other towns and members of the alliance that they could be reached by wave but only if an emergency arose. As soon as the weather cleared, all towns would need to work to get the roads open for at least one vehicle to pass on and for foot traffic. But until then, it was advised to stay in town and patrol their own borders until the system passed.

The night of the fifth day of snow, everyone was ready to go nuts with the lack of ability to move about as the snow got deeper. When the guard called in from the main gate asking for Marcus to come topside, Marcus was all too happy to do so. He grabbed Kurdy and Mister Smith on the way as well as Lee, just to get them out for a few moments.

It was a decent stretch of the legs to get to the end of the tunnel. When the doors opened, what greeted them was worth the walk. Thirty people sat huddled on the back of a hay sled, having been pulled up to the gate by a team of four large draft horses. As the guard explained that they had just pulled up out of nowhere. "The driver of the team said that two other teams have been searching the roads for stranded travelers and one is headed to Millhaven with twenty-seven people and another is going to Crete with eighteen."

Kurdy had walked over to the team of draft horses, knowing that he was at all man but these horses made him look small in comparison. They seemed in good spirits and when he got to the drivers seat on the hay sled, he recognized the hat before he recognized the bundle of coat and scarf sitting in the seat.

"Hey! Mal! Good to see you!" he shouted and lifted a hand up to her.

She clasped it, using her other hand to pull down her scarf, "Hey-ya Kurdy. So this be the Mountain that Thunders, eh? I bring you 'gifts'." She said a bit teasingly. There were several chuckles from those bundled up in blankets and amongst hay on the back of the sled. "A bunch of snow-fish. Floundering around like colts in their first snow." She teased a little, calling over her shoulder at them. Several laughs and snorts followed but no one seemed upset.

Kurdy waved Marcus over, "Marcus. Remember when we told you about the Horse Tribe we ran into and got all that gas from to get back here? Well this is Mal." He looked up at Mal, "Mal, this is Marcus, our leader here."

Marcus came over and looked up at her, then held up a hand. "I can't express how much we appreciated your assistance. And now it seems we owe you again for helping people out of this predicament of bad weather."

She looked at Marcus, then smiled widely and clasped the offered hand. "So you're the 'Chief' of Thunder Mountain. Good to meet ya." She paused a moment, still looking at him as if unable to look away. Kurdy noticed Marcus was in the same predicament. He cleared his throat after a long pause.

Mal broke the handshake. "So, you able to take these snow-fish off my hands? Got some feed or something to give the horses something other than hay to offer thanks?" she asked. "We still have another twenty miles to search for any other stragglers." She stated.

Marcus blinked and nodded, "Yeah, sure. We can take them in." He looked at the guard, "Call in to Aaron and tell her that we need places to put thirty or so people and to send up four buckets of our collection of today's uneaten vegetables and parings." He turned then to look at Mal, "They won't mind eating peelings and cores and such? We have quite a bit. Nothing spoiled since it's all from today. There might be some pieces of bread and such in them."

Mal smiled brightly, "Wonderful. They will be appreciative of what they can get." She hooked the reigns up and jumped easily down into the snow and came around to the hay wagon, removing several of the bundles of hay. "Come on snow-fish. Time to swim free." She teased.

Lee and Smith began helping them down off the hay sled and onto the ground. Kurdy began directing people into the tunnel as the guard called inside for several people to receive them at the end to get them situated. Mal began walking around each of the horses, talking quietly to them, checking their hooves and legs.

Marcus walked with her a little as she threw blankets over each one for the time being. "So…do you need to come inside for the night with the team? We can put them up along with you."

She looked at him and he noticed the twinkle in her eyes as if she was finding something quite funny about what he'd said. "No, we are well. We have more roads to search. Night is easier to search since most people will have fires going and we can see the light of them."

Marcus nodded a little, "But won't it get colder once the light fades?"

She adjusted a strap or two as one of the big drafts nibbled the brim of her hat. She said something at him and he stopped, tossing his head slightly. They practically dwarfed her small frame. "Naw. Not by much. As long as it keeps snowing, it means the temperature is still tolerable. It isn't until the wind picks up and it stops snowing that you have to worry."

By the time she was done checking all four of the horses, two soldiers came out of the tunnel, each carrying two pales of food. Mal smiled and went up to one of them, taking a bucket. She then motioned to them and to Marcus. "Just hold the bucket up to their mouth's and they will do the rest. Best if they all eat at once so there's no bickering over one eating while the others don't."

Marcus and the soldiers took the hint and each approached a horse with a bucket and held it up to them. The horses smelled the food and quickly shifted, trying to get to the buckets until they were positioned for them to eat easily from. The sound of crunching and munching could be heard coming out of the buckets as the horses enjoyed the full treat of the different items in the buckets from cabbage leaves to pieces of bread. As each finished, Mal came around and checked up on them.

She slowly withdrew the blankets and folded them up before tossing them into the seat where she would sit. She then pulled out four sets of bells and strapped them to the horses pull harnesses, letting them chime a little. "Well, we'll be off. Ya might want to warn Millhaven and Crete that they are going to be getting company. All three teams will make another pass along roads and such, looking for stranded snow-fish. When we're done, we'll need to be put up for a few days. Most of us have feed for our teams but things like what you just fed them will be most welcome also."

Marcus came up to her as she was heading around to the sled drivers seat. He held out a hand again, "Thank you for helping them. I'm sure that the efforts of the three teams have saved many lives." He stated.

She took off a glove and shook his hand, looking him in the eyes. "Chief…you might want to stock up on supplies as much as possible before the next two weeks. This winter will only get worse and not just with the weather. Once my teams have rested, we can be used to take people and supplies between the three towns or other outposts."

He stared at her for the longest time and then nodded, "Thanks for the warning. I'm sure that we can definitely put your teams to good use and we'll do what we can to make the horses comfortable while inside." He said, smiling a little at her, almost shyly before he finally let go of her hand.

She climbed into the drivers seat as Mister Smith came forward and handed her up a cardboard box. "They brought you up some food and a medical kit, just in case." He pointed to Lee who was dumping a load of blankets on the back of the sled, "Blankets too for those you find that might need an extra one or two."

Mal smiled brightly at the three men as she pulled up her scarf and put gloves back on her hands. She gave a form of a salute off the brim of her hat and whistled to the team as they slowly turned the sled around and with a light flick of the reigns, they began to take off at a decent trot, hooves thudding on the snow they were packing down. The harnesses jingled and jangled like the old familiar sound associated with Santa and Christmas.

Those still outside watched until she was no longer visible but the sounds of the bells could be heard still amongst the trees. The guard was changed over and the rest went back inside, the doors slowly closing behind them.


	6. Chapter 6

Jeremiah received the news of the incoming sled and team and immediately went out to begin getting a stable set up for the horses. Thankfully there was an old stable still in good shape near the edge of town. He also got people started on gathering food scraps of vegetables, fruit and bread for the horses. The main hall was opened and warmed to receive their visitors.

By the time they were ready to receive the rescuee's, the sound of sleigh bells could be heard coming up the lane. It was such a cheerful sound that most of the town seemed to turn out to see the oncoming sled. When the team of four dark brown draft horses came into view, pulling a sled blocked up with hay for barriers and people standing up on the back of the sled around the hay, waving happily to those in the town, there was a feeling of celebration to the air.

People were off loaded, the horses fed and rubbed down then watered. The Indian driving the team never left them but took the offered hot tea and box of food along with extra blankets and a first aid kit. Once the horses were rested, warmed and fed, he took off at an even trot much to the childrens delight at the sound of the bells on the harnesses. Jeremiah watched as they road out of sight, hoping they would be successful in finding anyone else out in this weather.

The town had gathered twice a day during the snow to work on clearing paths, roads and making trails. It had helped and they even came up with some makeshift snow fences for the areas that showed a persistence of blowing snow causing large drifts. The snow continued to fall and when Jeremiah had checked in with Marcus, he was passed the message of warning about the winter becoming harsher and not just in terms of weather. The next morning, he called together a small council of town representatives and they began to make plans for the oncoming bad weather and possible issues with Daniel's troops or raiders.

*****

The sound of jingling bells made the guard at Thunder Mountain call up Marcus and the others, explaining that it sounded as if the sled team was coming back. Within twenty minutes, the sled pulled into sight, sixteen hours past when they had previously left. The horses looked tired finally and so did the driver, though there was another load of people on the back of the sled, standing and watching over the hay bales.

The snow had finally stopped but the skies hung heavy as if it could start any time again. The crews had come out and had been taking turns spending two hours out shoveling and moving snow before the next team would relieve them and take over. They had gotten quite far and the sled had a clear path all the way into the door of the mountain.

The sled was pulled into the long tunnel and off to the side where Mal simply jumped down out of the drivers seat and began to unhook the team from the sled. Kurdy came over and offered to help but she shook her head, pointing to the hay bales behind her. "I need two moved to wherever they will be stabled. The blankets too. I'll walk them into the mountain myself. No one else would be able to control them if they got spooked."

Kurdy nodded and with the help of a solider, gathered up the blankets and hay bales and headed down the tunnel, followed by twenty three more people. Once she got the team unhooked, she grabbed up her leather pack and went to the front of the team and took a lead rope for both of the head horses and began to direct them down the tunnel. They seemed hesitant at first but after half way down the tunnel they began to pick up speed. By the time the team burst from the end of the tunnel, they were at a decent trot, causing Mal to have to run a bit to keep ahead of them.

It was quite a site for anyone standing in the repair bay to see four large draft horses come out of the tunnel, the sound of bells chiming and echoing through the halls and a slender woman running to keep in front of them. She finally hollered out a command and the four horses pulled up, slowing and coming to a halt though they seemed still eager to go somewhere. Kurdy was there to direct them to an area where they had created makeshift stables for the horses. The hay was already in mangers in each and buckets filled with refuse from the dining hall waited them. She had to work hard to control the four horses so she could get them unstrapped.

Within a few minutes, each was directed into a stall and the next was released from its harness before being shoved inside and the doors closed behind them. Finally all four were in their stalls, munching happily at what was in the pails and drinking water. People marveled at the sight of these four huge horses before looking at the woman that had kept them under some semblance of control, marveling again at her obvious skill with the animals.

Finally, Mal turned to find Marcus standing there, watching her. She hefted her pack after putting the harness up and out of the way. "So Chief." She said in greeting, "Got some place to put up a tired heathen?" she joked lightly.

Marcus smiled a little and nodded, "Come on." He motioned for her to join him in the elevator.

She followed behind him quietly, hardly saying anything. He could tell she was utterly drained. He knew she needed a quiet place to sleep but the mountain was still crowded especially with over fifty new people to add to the rosters, even if temporarily. When the elevator reached the floor he'd chosen, he motioned her to follow him. On the way to a place she could sleep, he pointed out where the bathroom and showers were located. Finally he came to the door to a room and opened it for her. "Here we are. Some place quiet you can get some sleep."

She looked around the room before really entering. "This is someone else's place of rest, Chief. I do not wish to deprive someone of their room." She said, looking at Marcus.

Marcus shrugged, "It's my room and I've gotten sleep the last few days. You haven't. By the time you're rested, I'll be ready to crash again."

Mal raised an eyebrow, "People might talk." She said, a slight smirk showing on the very corner of her lips, letting him know she was teasing.

Marcus shrugged, "Nothing to talk about. The woman who just saved over fifty people has the privlage of having a quiet bed to sleep in. If anyone 'talks', they can find themselves out shoveling snow for a few hours." He said with a bit of a smile himself.

She nodded and dropped her hat and bag into the chair next to the bed. "Then I'll take your offer. It will be good to be warm for a time." She said as she kicked off her boots and pulled off her coat. She sat on the bed, her back to him. When he realized she'd grown very still, he walked around to find her sleeping, still sitting up.

With a sigh, he pulled the edge of the covers back and got her pushed back onto the pillows and covered up before leaving the room and turning the lights all off but one. It spoke greatly of her exhaustion to let herself fall asleep with her back towards an unknown person in a strange place.

*****

Millhaven and Crete checked in within a few hours of Mal's second arrival that their teams had returned with a few more people each and that everyone had been taken care of, including the teams and drivers. Little else was reported except that the snow had stopped and teams of snow movers were out in rounds to work through the main roads in and out of each town.

Mal continued to sleep through that night and into the next day, waking only twice to groggily make her way to the bathroom and then to return and flop back into bed. By the second full day since her arrival, she awoke to find Marcus trying to find something in the half dark in his room. He seemed oblivious that she was watching him and when she spoke up, he nearly jumped over the chair he was standing by.

"You're like a pack rat desperately trying to find the shiny piece of paper it stole away to impress a potential mate. Ever so quiet and yet, not." She teased.

He had let out a slight startled noise and stood straight up, smacking his head on the underside of a shelf before he whirled to look at her. His heart was beating quickly from the fright she'd given him. The only thing he could say in return was "I'm not a pack rat." In a rather defensive tone, wincing at the headache he was about to get.

She let out a slight chuckle and finally stood up out of the bed. "If you say so Chief." She said in a teasing tone. "I will now relinquish your bed back to you and go clean up and be on my way. You got anything you need hauled somewhere?" she asked.

Marcus had gone over and turned a desk lamp on, looking concerned at her. "You already looking to leave?" he asked.

She shrugged a little, "Ya, that I am. There's no wind, no sky in here. The silence is deafening and the scents are too strange for my calmness to stay in tact. The boys are probably ready to be out and gone as well."

Marcus watched her for a moment, then nodded. "All right. Feel free to stay as long as you like. At least get a warm meal in you before you go. We have a load of things already set aside that are needed in Millhaven. We were going to get a truck out on the road soon since most of the roads have been cleared or packed down."

Mal shrugged a little, "I can take them as I go check on the other teams. Besides, horse power is cheaper to maintain than motor power. Don't need gas, just hay, water and vegetable scraps. That'll keep the boys going for days without complaining too much." She smiled and he saw the smile lines around her mouth and crows feet at her eyes crinkle in merriment.

Marcus couldn't help himself and he smiled back. "All right. We'll get your sled loaded up and get you some supplies for yourself and your team before you head out."

She grinned and gathered up her pack and headed to the showers. He soon found himself simply day dreaming for a moment about the black haired Indian woman that had brought a little hope to Thunder Mountain when the weather was dragging everyone down.

A few hours later, she was showered, fed and had the team harnessed up and ready to go. She laughed with Mister Smith in the fact that there was very little for her to clean up in regards to the horses since the horse manure was apparently a treasured item that was immediately taken to be composted to add new nutrients for the gardens. She told him they only had to ask and she'd bring them a whole load of horse shit.

Smith found it terribly funny and asked for a ride to Millhaven. There were two others that wanted to travel to Millhaven and with the equipment and supplies to be taken there, the sled was fully loaded. Most of the hay had been offloaded, leaving several bundles for the team if they had to stop for some reason.

Once everyone and everything was loaded along with the team being hitched up, the doors were opened and the team, sensing the outside, took off like a shot with a simple flick of the reigns. The skies were clear and the sun was blocked some by the trees along the road. Smith sat up in the drivers seat with Mal and the two became quite animated in their discussions of things as the horses plodded along, happy just to be outside again.

They reached Millhaven late that night and the sled was offloaded and the team secured in the stables with the other team that was there still. Jeremiah put Smith and Mal up at his house along with the driver of the other team. Super was quite an affair as stories went back and forth between the two Indians about living on the plains. Plans were made for the teams to take half the supplies brought from Thunder Mountain and items from Millhaven to be taken to Crete. From there, the other two teams would forage out farther to other towns selected to patrol the roads, help those that might still be stranded and take word further on about preparing for the worst.

That next morning, Hank came rushing over to Jeremiah's with another printing of the 'Free Spirit Press'. It was full of information from the Allied States and how things were progressing. It also had articles about how to prepare for freezing weather, what to do in times of hard snow and also to prepare for raiding parties. Another article talked about the hardships the pioneers of this country had gone through to settle the land as well as the election of the first President, George Washington.

Hank came back several hours later with a large enough stack of papers to send off with those teams heading to Crete for them to be delivered. Several of the children and adults approached the two teams when they saw them preparing to leave. The children asked them if they could send letters to the other children in Crete and the adults had a few letters to send to relatives or friends in other towns.

Mal smiled to her cohort and the two nodded, taking the small flour sack bags that were handed to them filled with a handful of letters. With a flick of the reigns, they were both off, the teams of horses pulling the half loaded sleds across the snow pack, the bells jingling merrily away.


	7. Chapter 7

Things seemed to be running smoothly for once. Several more teams of horses were brought from other areas of the western states as news spread as to how well they were working and stables were set up to house them during the few days break they would get between sweeps of each area. They were nicknamed the 'Teamsters' to give them a title that explained what they were.

Mail began to flow between the towns fairly easily with these deliveries of goods. Each team had a route between three or four towns and everyone seemed to rejoice to see them since traffic of any kind had come almost to a halt. The roads were either iced over, snowed over or too trecherous to take a vehicle out on without going incredibly slow and wasting more gas than it was worth.

There were other benefits to the sleds making the rounds as well. They were able to take people from one town to another or pick up people on the roads and give them rides into the closest towns. As the temperatures began to drop even lower after another major snow storm dumped several more feet onto the four foot already existing, it made travel difficult for anyone not prepared to be out in the weather.

The paths were shoveled now to be wide enough for the horses and sleds with a little room on each side plus places for stopping and sheltering or turning around if need be. It helped to block some of the wind and hide those traveling down the paths for the most part. The bells were taken off the harnesses as rumors began to slowly spread about spies being entrenched within the woods, keeping track of everything that passed their way. No one had any proof but all of the teamsters knew there were eyes in the forests watching them and waiting though no sign of life other than themselves could be seen.

Marcus was ecstatic about the good fortune of the teamsters showing up. All scraps of bread, fruits and vegetables were kept out for the horses and there was always a warm bed and accommodations for those that drove the teams between towns. Thunder Mountain was the base that Mal claimed though she always spent more time outside than inside.

Mal always seemed to find that her accommodations were in Marcus' room though nothing ever passed between the two. Anyone that asked him about it and why she was given different accommodations than those made for any other teamster that stopped, it was usually followed by the explanation that she did twice as much work than the others did before she would stop long enough to sleep. He wanted to make sure she was left alone to get the best sleep she could before going back out again.

A few, such as Kurdy and Mister Smith, saw something different in Marcus' eyes when Mal was around. Mal kept things very well hidden under an indifferent or joking exterior but Kurdy caught a glimpse of her watching Marcus when she thought no one was looking at her. Her eyes followed him, a look of interest in them. But then the look would be gone and she'd be back to her old easy going self again. This continued for some time through the winter until one night, while Kurdy and Marcus were going over some plans for Spring work, Kurdy brought up the subject of Mal.

"So Marcus." Kurdy said in a casual manner, "When you gonna ask Mal out on a date?" he said, keeping a straight face. But with Marcus' reaction, it was all Kurdy could do to keep from laughing aloud.

Marcus blinked, "Wha…? I mean, what are you talking about Kurdy?" Marcus' face started to turn a bit red.

Kurdy grinned, "I see the way you look at her Marcus and if I'm reading her right, when she thinks no one is watching, she looks at you in a very similar manner."

Marcus' face was truly beginning to redden, "She…now wait a minute. I don't look at her with anything but admiration for what she and her teamsters have been doing to help us." He stated.

Kurdy suddenly burst into laughter, "Look at your face Marcus. You cannot tell me that line of bull and get away with it. Your face is telling me something different. You like her I think…like her a lot. Everyone seems to see what's going on between you two except the two of you."

Marcus looked at Kurdy for a minute, "It's really no ones business but my own with how I feel about others. I respect her greatly. No matter what I feel, I don't want to ruin the good thing we've got going here by getting mixed up emotionally…that is if I had feelings for her other than … I do." He seemed to fumble around for the last bit, his face now bright red.

Kurdy just chuckled and gave Marcus a look of complete disbelief before continuing their discussion about plans for the upcoming spring thaw and going over the last few letters from the elected officials of ten towns that were coming into the Alliance thanks to the work of the teamsters.

*****

The ride had been brutal this round. The wind was whipping past the pine trees, blowing loose snow around into drifts that she and her boys had to plow through. The past two trips had been unaccompanied by anyone they'd met on the road. Most by now had found shelter and refused to budge until the cold snap broke. She had very little on the sled this time from the last two towns, having made all her deliveries and was on the way back to Thunder Mountain.

The horses had been nervous for over an hour as the dark slowly began to descend. It was only a day away from Christmas and she had a sachalle full of mail and a few important documents, mainly agreements of other towns joining the Alliance. She made the boys pick up the pace just a little since they were only about twenty miles out of the mountain.

Her nose caught a brief hint of wood smoke before she saw the fire erupt in front of her. The horses reared and spooked, shoving the sled into one of the side banks. She gave a brief command and the boys took off at a full gallop, running right through the fire, the rungs of the sled putting the last bit out as it flew by. She heard a shot ring out, the crack of the riffle. Her adrenaline was up and she knew she needed to get through. She grabbed up the sachelle and flung it over her neck and shoulder before pulling out her hunting knife. Riffles didn't work so well in this extreme cold so she kept things simple and carried bow and arrow for hunting or defense. But at the moment there was no place to take up a defensive position.

Mal saw the fire ahead and the boys came to a sudden stop again, bucking against the harnesses. Several more shots fired and she quickly leaped off the sled and began quickly cutting away harnesses. First one, then two were free, fleeing down the corridor of snow. The last two took a few more seconds and then they were free. She quickly grabbed a hold of the cut harness on the last one to take off and clung to his side, trying to get past the shooting gallery.

She passed the fire, feeling the heat against her face as they raced past. Within seconds she felt it safe enough to climb onto the horses back. Now free of the team and weight of the sled, the horses fled down the road, their large hooves pounding the snow around them, clods of snow flying out from under hooves and tails and manes whipping freely behind them. She could feel her horse under her huffing in the cold air and she kept herself low to his back.

The she remembered the crack of a riffle and the white searing pain in her head before several other areas of her body exploded in pain. She heard the horse under her shriek in pain but he kept moving forward at a blinding speed. Her last instinctive action was to clutch tightly to the harness and lay against the horses back, holding on for dear life as her world narrowed to simply taking one breath after another.


	8. Chapter 8

The alarm was sounded through the base in the middle of the night, a call ringing down to Marcus' office. A quick answer and reply had Marcus quickly pulling on his jacket and boots as he ran down the hallway to the elevator. As he ran through the hallways, he quickly grabbed people as he passed them, shouting orders to follow him and dress for bad weather.

Within minutes, ten people were topside and ready to run down the tunnel when the first of four large draft horses came pounding down the tunnel, sweating, shaking and steam rising off their wet backs as they came in wide eyed and frantic. The last one in was covered in blood and had someone hunched over its back.

One of the people in charge of the draft horses used to haul sleds was familiar with horses and got people together to calm the horses down. He calmly spoke about how to approach them, how to bribe them into calming down with familiar things and getting them walking up and down the tunnel to cool down or they would get sick and die. The last horse that had come in was in a daze as it stood utterly still, its withers and flanks shivering and twitching, its eyes wide as it showed the white around them from fear.

Marcus slowly approached him, trying to take a gentle hold of the lead rope. His hands had just come to grip the rope when the rider slowly straightened. Marcus could only stare at the bloodied face that turned towards him. His heart nearly froze in his chest as it focused on him. It was Mal. She had lost her hat somewhere and she bled profusely out of a gouge along her hairline. She slowly lifted her right arm and pulled off the sachelle she'd carried with her the entire way. She held it out to him as she struggled to stay sitting up.

Her body showed evidence of several bullet wounds and it was hard to tell with all the blood how serious she was. Marcus took the bag and handed it backwards to someone who took it from her fingers. He reached up hands to offer her a way off the horse but she could only sit and stare off into space now. He realized that it might be dangerous for her to try and slip off the back of the horse in her condition so he led the horse over to stand next to a truck. He gave the reigns to Kurdy and climbed into the truck.

He reached out and gently pulled her towards him with the help of several other people. Her eyes looked through him as he got her laid out. Her hand was still trying to grip the harness that they had to cut away from the horse to get her off. She finally focused on him. "All the boys here?" she asked in a near whisper.

He nodded, "Yeah. They all came in and are being cared for." He said gently. A backboard arrived and they quickly slid her onto it and strapped her down. He gave her hand a quick squeeze and climbed out of the back of the truck to help haul the back board as they headed towards the elevator to take her to the infirmiry. Kurdy made a quick call to the medical ward to warn them of the incoming trauma.

Moments later, the four people carrying her burst through the door of the medical bay and they found the staff ready with a bed and bright lights lit. They carefully laid her out on the table and stepped back. The medical staff quickly swarmed around her, blocking the view of her as they worked. The other three soon stepped out into the hallway but Marcus stayed behind. He kept his back to the wall to be out of the way but Kurdy soon joined him and convinced him to go back to his room. "There's nothing more you can do for her. If they need something, you'll be the first to be called, I'm sure. Right now, we have to find out who did this and where. Lex says that it looks like some of the horses got a bit of singed hair as if they ran through fire. One of the horses took a bullet to the flank and the one she came in on has one in its shoulder. Once they calm down and get warmed up and fed, relaxed some, then he'll see about trying to remove the bullets."

Marcus looked at Kurdy. "Who the hell would attack in weather like this? They were risking their own lives in this cold. Why?" he said, sounding almost frantic.

Kurdy shrugged, "I don't know but I know that where ever it happened, we'll find the sled I think. The entire harness was cut apart and probably by her so that the horses could run free. She's a smart woman. Whoever ambushed her must have been smart enough to plan it just right for the best success. Or they just got damned lucky."

Marcus sighed and rubbed his face. "Thank you Kurdy for the report. Let me know if you find out anything else. We need to get in touch with the other towns and tell them to be very cautious but to keep an eye out for strangers on the roads or heaven help us, the sound of choppers."

*****

The rest of the night went agonizingly slow. Finally Aaron came to Marcus to give him an update. She found him sitting in his office, staring out the large plate window in the shadowed dark. "Marcus?" she called out.

He didn't move, "How bad is it?" he asked simply.

Aaron sighed, "It's at times like this that I wish we had someone here that knew all the old ways of medicine. It's a wonder she's lived this long." She came in and shut the door behind her and went over to sit near him. "She's fading Marcus. She took bullet graze to the head along her temple. It isn't so bad but it bled a lot." She was silent again for a moment.

"She was shot four more times from above and straight across. It was an ambush, no doubt. Some of the bullets enter in at an angle suggesting someone shooting down from above. The others come in straight across as if level with her on horseback. She took two in her right thigh, one in the back of the right shoulder that exited the front. The last went in near her heart. That was the on that went straight across. If it had entered at the angle the others had, she would have died instantly. But as it is, she's very weak from loss of blood and from the deadly cold outside. The horse kept her warm but not enough to stave off hypothermia." Aaron looked at Marcus in the half dark.

Marcus was quiet for a long time, "Is there anything that can be done for her?" he asked.

Aaron sighed, "Possibly but it may not do her any good by now. She needs a blood transfusion and …. You're the one of two people registered on base that have her blood type. But she's going to need more than you can give because she's almost bled out. It's a wonder her heart is still pumping."

Marcus blinked, "Why didn't you ask me this earlier?"

Aaron looked at him, "Because we're not sure if it will do any good and it might mean you'd be out of commission for a least a few days. The other person is off base right now, up at Millhaven. Are you willing to give this donation of blood even if it might do nothing for her survival and possibly put yourself out of the action for a few days to a week as your body recovers?"

Marcus stood up and was already to the door, "Damned straight I am. Have Kurdy and Lee meet me at the Medical Ward. I've got work for them since I can't do it myself." He said, storming out and jogging down the hallway, with Aaron close behind him.


	9. Chapter 9

The first transfusion helped some, pulling her away from the edge of death but she still couldn't be awakened. Marcus gave the order to bring the other person in from Millhaven to have on stand by. Lee and Kurdy were to go out and try to find where the ambush happened and who had laid the trap. He was groggy from the loss of blood but slept most of the effects off. He dreamed of the old Indian man who had visited him last time he had been in the medical ward.

His dream began with him waking in the spirit world where he sat up upon seeing the old man standing near him. Marcus looked about the room and saw six others standing around Mal's bed as if guarding her or were waiting for her end to come. Marcus looked back to the old man, "What are they doing?" he asked.

The old man seemed to look through Marcus but smiled a little, "It is up to the Great Spirit if she lives or dies. These warriors guard her soul until the decision is made. If the Great Spirit calls her to his lands beyond the clouds, then they will escort her there. If he wishes her to stay, they will simply continue their own journey until they are needed again." He was quiet as Marcus looked closer at the six standing around her.

Marcus rubbed his forehead. "When will they know if she is to live or die?" he asked.

The Indian shrugged, "It isn't for me to say but your strength now flows through her because of what you gave her to stave off the endless sleep. But it also depends upon her will to live. 'Moves as Lynx' has a big heart and has done many selfless things in her life for the good of all. But she lets none close to her other than in friendship for fear of loss such as she suffered before." He looked at Marcus then shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

Marcus puzzled over this for some time. He wanted to ask more about what he meant but the Indian seemed to be fading. The old man spoke to him but as if from a great distance. "As the days grow longer, your time grows shorter until war is brought west. You have the advantage to choose your battleground. Do so wisely." As Marcus looked away and then back up, the old man was gone. He looked over and saw the six still standing around Mal.

He went over and slowly moved past them to her bedside. He knew he must be dreaming but he wanted to see this dream through. She lay silently on the bed she had been set out on. He slowly reached forward and touched her hand. He realized that he could feel it and when he went to pick it up, he saw that her physical hand was still on the bed. He guessed he had a hold of her spiritual hand. He leaned forward and kissed the back of it gently as he sat on the edge of the bed, not really physically affecting it.

He held her hand in his dream as he spoke to her, simply talking about his life since the Big Death and how they had survived underground all of this time. He spoke of his hopes and dreams for the future and the sorrow he felt for the mistakes he'd made along the way and the anger of things he had no control over and knew it.

Finally he spoke of what he hoped for his own future, things he'd never told anyone, hardly even admitting them to him self. She remained still, slowly breathing in and out as the distant beep of the heart monitor registered her vital signs. Once he had told her what was inside of him, he remained quiet, sitting for what seemed like hours at her side, simply holding her hand, gently caressing the fingers as if he would in real life.

He felt himself grow tired and he finally stood, leaning forward and kissing her forehead gently and then he hesitated for a second before he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her. He finally stepped away from the bed and stepped back towards his own. The six still stood around her bed, the one with the coyote pelt and head for a headdress looked at him and nodded slightly before focusing to the center of the bed. He gave a slight shiver at the thought of them escorting her to the Great Spirit. But it was not his call. He finally returned to his own body and slipped back into a deep sleep, dark and without emotions except one. Hope.

*****

He woke slowly the next day, groggy and light headed. The medical crew was soon there with breads, fruits and a serving of cooked beans for protin. He tried to eat but his eyes kept going to where Mal still lay unconscious. She seemed pale, her body limp against the bed and blankets. He couldn't see the six spirits he saw the night before but he was sure he could almost sense them. No decision had been made yet.

Finally when he felt a little better, he got up and moved over to sit on the edge of her bed like he did the night before in his dreams. He gently picked up her hand and rubbed the back of it with her palm between his fingers, slowly stroking each finger. He didn't feel up to talking so he simply remained with her until he felt himself beginning to doze off again. One of the nurses came in and led him back over to his bed, pulling the sheets over him before she left the room.

His dreams were fitful, strange and unconnected. Little pieces of this or that memory filtered in and then back out as if he was trying to puzzle something out for himself. He couldn't make heads or tails of it but it was frustrating none the less. Upon waking again, he found the table next to him layed out with more bread, pasta and vegetables. He wasn't feeling very hungry but he ate anyway. They had kept him hooked up to a saline solution drip the whole time he'd been recovering so he was feeling better the second day though there had been no change in Mal.

His blood work was checked and Aaron asked him if he felt up to giving another transfusion. This one might make it harder for him to recover so quickly. He only nodded and went to sit next to Mal's bedside as they hooked the two of them up with tubes and needles. Marcus squirmed a bit. He hated needles. The blood began to flow slowly from his arm into hers. He remained still through the whole thing while they constantly checked his blood pressure and hers. He could only hope that this was helping her.

He dozed off shortly before they were done, feeling lethargic and somewhat muddled. He didn't feel them unhook the transfusion machine or that they managed to get him out of the chair and back into his bed. The darkness was too deep at the moment to encourage him to try and swim out of it. He felt lost, alone and vulnerable as he never had before in his life.


	10. Chapter 10

Aaron was worried. The second transfusion seemed to do little for Mal and Marcus wasn't doing so well himself. He had been sleeping for over twenty four hours without signs of waking. They kept both of them in a quaranteen state now to make sure that while both of their immune systems were compromised, there would be less of a chance for them to get sick from something brought in.

By the start of the second twenty four hours, Marcus was running a fever and seemed to have the chills. No one had ever truly tried to do this much before so when Marcus began to show signs of weakening, they were at a loss of what to do. The medicine the text books talked about that could be used to make more blood cells was not in the stores of medicine any longer. What they should do from here was anyones guess other than to ride it out and pray.

Marcus woke once or twice but he didn't seem quite coherent. He'd fall back asleep soon after and would sleep for another long stretch of time before waking again. As Marcus drifted in and out of sleep, he drempt of the six Indians now standing over his own bed, as if they were expecting him to be the one to go or stay. He seemed in a panic as he tried to see if Mal was still alive but the Indians blocked his view of her bed. He called out to her, to see if she'd answer but there was nothing but silence.

Finally, he drifted back into a deeper sleep, his thoughts drifting to and fro as he slipped further into sleep. He felt as though he had drifted there for some time before he felt a hand on his, touching him gently. He tried to wake but found he couldn't really bring himself to become conscious to see who was next to him. It wasn't until he heard her voice that he knew who it was. He struggled to wake but found it impossible to do so. It scared him greatly but he had to try and keep a reign in on his emotions or it might cause him more damage.

He finally settled, giving up for the time being. He felt the hand stroking the back of his like he had done for Mal. He heard her voice calling out to him and then simply talking to him in return as he had done to her. Had she been aware like this when he had visited her in the spirit world. He tried to relax and listen to what she said, trying to keep himself still to hear what she had to say.

When she finally spoke again, her voice had changed a little. She seemed well educated, well grounded and yet, not so much the joking and happy go lucky she always seemed to come off as. Her voice held the sound of personal sadness of hope or love lost and not just from the wounds they all carried because of the Big Death. She stroked the back of his hand a little and then spoke in words he could truly hear.

"When I was little, my father gave me my own horse. I named him Big Sky because he made me feel like I could race the wind across the open plains and nothing could stop me. I spent long days on his back helping the tribe to work the herd of wild mustang. We were inseparable. But one day he stepped in a hole and broke his leg. My father handed me a pistol and said it was the most humane thing to do for Big Sky. He wouldn't do the deed for me and the longer I waited the more my horse screamed in pain. I learned a hard lesson that day and many times more before the Big Death came to take my family and my tribe away." She grew quiet for a time.

"Growing up on the reservation, you learn to grow up quickly. Life was hard but we all survived somehow. When all of the adults were dead, most of the children didn't riot. We all knew the hard lessons in life much more than those our age elsewhere in the states. We gathered our dead, burning their bodies and releasing their souls. We went out in search of the other nearby reservations and since the area around our reservation was mainly grasslands, we invited anyone with horses to come to us with whatever supplies and horses they could bring and we would do our best to survive as a tribe of one." She grew quiet for a time.

"We did the best we could on our own reservation. We set up living spaces in the large community center we had. It had generators and if the weather got too cold, we could start them up and heat the area. We gathered up every drop of fuel we could find, all the batteries, oil lamps, flashlights, candles, wood and food. We gathered blankets and clothing, anything worth keeping that might help in our survival. Slowly, other tribes of children began to join us. The herds of horses were driven into corrals and those that traveled on horseback drug liters or hauled wagons full of similar goods. We had several houses set aside for storage and it was all combined together. One house was designated only for our history, the artifacts and priceless possessions that had been handed down from one generation to the next. Pictures, news articles, everything went into that one house." She sighed a little and thought about those days that led up to the forming of one tribe.

"We survived and soon we realized that we had made it through two winters without loosing anyone. The oldest of us got together and deemed us the Horse Tribe when we knew that our scouts had contacted and searched all the reservations for three states. We received word that those in the North Country and around the Great Lakes wished to remain hidden and so they were the Fishing or Northern Tribe. We knew that the several hundred children and teens we had gathered, we were the last of our race and ancestry. We farmed, we herded buffalo and cattle. We disassembled fences to open grazing lands up from the north to the south. We staved off the bands of raiders as the years progressed. Soon most of us were old enough to divide the tribe into three sections, each taking part of the mustang herd and other horses we'd gathered over the years. We would resettle in three small towns to claim as our own and once a year, we'd drive the horses, cattle and buffalo down to Kansas where the wheat fields and grasslands were richer in nutrients for the animals. It's been that way now for six years. We found a town down there that all of us take over for the winter." She was silent again as memories clouded her speech and mind. She tried desperately to contain herself but she felt weak, worn out and alone.

She had heard every word that Marcus had spoken to her while she lay in her bed, waiting to know the will of the Great Spirit. When she received that second transfusion from Marcus, it brought her far enough out of her stupor to respond to him. But the strain of saving her life was taking a toll on his. If she didn't have the courage to tell him how she felt, she'd never be true to herself or to the cause of being free.

Finally she spoke again, "I met a young man about five years ago. He had come in from the east, from a tribe somewhere in Michigan. By then I had been made Chief of the town that we stayed in during the summer and had been on the Council for eight years. I fell for his smooth moves and way of talking. The stories he told about where he came from and what they had accomplished seemed too good to be true but yet, we all wanted to believe in something outside of ourselves. He wasn't my first but I thought he was truly the one. Then he started trying to get us to abandon all that we'd worked hard for, to come join those in the East. We really were content with what we were doing and where we were. We refused and then he tried to get me to leave with him. When I refused…he wasn't the man I fell in love with. He seemed to go crazy and tried to force the tribe into going with him because he held my life at gunpoint."

Her words sounded pained to Marcus as he listened. She sighed, "He had not expected the reaction that he got but he soon found himself with a hatchet buried in the calf of his leg. He screamed and went down. I turned and … using his gun against him, I shot him in the head like I had Big Sky so many years ago. I…I refused to let anyone get that close to me again. I was so scared that I spent days away from everyone, crying, shaking and screaming at the world around me. When I returned…the others sensed the change in me but they knew with time I would be back to my old self again, just more cautious."

She leaned down and kissed the back of his hand like he had done to her. "I…fell in love with you the moment I saw you come out that door to greet us. I stayed away using the route as an excuse because I didn't trust myself and I didn't know if I could trust you. It takes a long time for me to trust new people." She said quietly.

She leaned forward and kissed his cheek, whispering to him. "But I am a free spirit, unable to live under the ground. You are like the Pairie Dog…living underground in your burrows and only coming to the surface when there is need. I fear that even if you felt the same for me as I do you, we are too different to…to…" she seemed to be struggling to come up with the right words. Finally she leaned forward and kissed his lips.

Marcus could feel the need in them but the fear still lingered. He struggled to wake up as he felt her leave the side of his bed. He wanted to scream and shout at her to stay, that he would make it work but it seemed as if he could only lay there and remain still. He wanted to weep but he only laid there, quiet and calm as if nothing could phase him physically.

******

Mal woke the following morning and against the better judgment of the medics, went up and appraised her team. She had them harnessed to the sled that had been brought back from the sight of attack before anyone knew to stop her. Both Kurdy and Smith tried to keep her from leaving but she was just stubborn enough to make their words seem to fall on deaf ears.

Mal looked at Kurdy, her gaze steady, unflinching. "Kurdy, I have duties elsewhere that I must be attended to." She went back to her bow and quiver of arrows and pulled out one that had a metal shaft instead of wood like the others. She handed the arrow to Kurdy, "Give this to Marcus when he wakes. Tell him the solution he seeks is within and set to strike at the heart of the enemy."

Kurdy looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "You must all take care of each other. I won't be back until winter has run its course but I will return." She said with a bit of a smile and pulled on an oversized jacket she pulled out of a pack and a worn out baseball hat since her old work hat had been lost somewhere and not found.

She got the team to pull the sled out into the whipping wind and blowing snow. She saluted the guard and got the team moving again, disappearing into the white wall that hid everything within several feet of the door.


	11. Chapter 11

Marcus woke the following morning after Mal left, weary and famished. When he inquired as to where Mal was, he was informed that she had left against the wishes of the medics. He was handed the arrow and message she'd given to Kurdy. Marcus seemed a bit upset by her leaving but he knew he had other things that needed his attention.

The Council had gotten the report from Kurdy and Lee on what they'd found and they acted upon that information, successfully capturing several of the attackers. They had been well organized and well protected from what could be seen. They had equipment that was meant to deal with heavy snow or sub-zero temperatures. They even had winter camouflage to make them less visible in the environment. The attackers had spent days setting up the perfect strike with a form of tree stand on both sides of the road and several bolt holes where they could aim a riffle out of.

The prisoners refused to speak but it seemed pretty obvious that a team that well equipped was from Daniel's troops or a third unknown party. Marcus was brought up to date on all of this as he slowly worked on his strength and health. Within another day, Marcus was back to his quarters and going over the reports and information of things he'd missed out on the past week and a half. He found it hard to focus but he managed to muddle through it. He woke some time during the night to find that he'd fallen asleep at his desk. He hauled himself into bed and slept until Kurdy woke him the next morning. He'd missed supper and breakfast and they were beginning to worry. Marcus let Kurdy bring him something to eat as Marcus went off to shower and start another day.

His mind kept traveling back to Mal. He sat and fiddled with the arrow for hours, not quite sure what her message meant. Finally he gave up and put the arrow up on a shelf near his desk. He looked again at the Free Spirit Press newsprint that now sat on his desk. It was a new copy but it was aimed at the slaves and those out east that feared the rule of Daniel. It was ingenious in a way, getting people to think without coming right out and reminding them that there were more of them then there was of Daniels troops. It gave hope but promised nothing that couldn't be obtained personally from each person. He admired the work and knew they had to start getting them filtered through to the east before spring.

He wanted to scream at times as work bogged him down. He dreamed of Mal at night but began to question whether what had been said or witnessed in fever dreams were real. He thought about what Kurdy said of her returning when winter broke but so far the New Year simply showed the weather continuing heavily with winds, snow and freezing temperatures. There was another team of horses that brought supplies from the mountain to the outlying towns but those that worked the routes had no idea where Mal had gone.

He worked tirelessly on trying to plot out where to attack or set up the field of battle with no luck. Arguments were constant in the board room between groups who thought better of where to have the advantage of attack to what they should attack with. Nothing seemed to be accomplished as the months stretched slowly into March. Marcus was wearing down and after one particular tough council meeting he went into his room and shut the door, locking the world out. He grabbed the nearest thing at hand and threw it in a fit of anger and desperation.

What happened next surprised even Marcus. The head of the arrow Mal gave him shattered as it struck the concrete wall. Marcus groaned, knowing it was the only thing that she'd left him and he'd just destroyed it. He went over to inspect what was left. When he picked up the shaft, he saw the piece of thin paper sticking out from the end. He pulled it out to discover it was a large piece of onion skin rolled up tightly to fit in the hollow metal shaft of the arrow. It was covered with strange markings.

He looked at the corner of it to see that it referenced the large Midwest map that he had hanging on one wall of his room. He went over to the map and gently held the paper up to the map and saw where she had marked it to fit perfectly. He dug in his desk for tape and gently put it up against the map. Then he pulled up a chair to sit while he began to inspect it. What unfolded in front of him made him grab paper and pen and begin to make notes. The map alone was the battle plan and showed the perfect place where to have an offensive chance in hell of surviving the battle to come.

He looked at the legend and saw that Mal had taken great care in marking out certain things on the states of Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming and Colorado. Arrows showed how to bottleneck Daniels troops that had to come over the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. There were notes and ideas of blowing several bridges. The one at the Platte River in several areas was perfect. The map was noted where areas of quicksand resided on the Platte River and he knew for a fact that it was a slow moving, shallow looking river but it was also very dangerous.

She showed where one dam on a small river on the boarder between Nebraska and Kansas could be blown to flood an area further down in Kansas, making it into a marshy wetlands quite easily. That was where the offense was to take place, getting Daniels troops to travel across the fields, only to find that they would get stuck or sink into the fine silt mud that was underlying the old fields. She even made notes of using the large herds of cattle, buffalo and horses to distract, disrupt and even destroy some of the troops and their gear.

Her last note was to simply use most of the available weapons to bring down aircraft or to send scouts out to different areas along the way that Daniels aircraft would have to land and sabatoge them. She had planned it out some time ago when she'd been in his room and he never knew. She'd thought of many different angles and it'd been in his hands the whole time. He quickly got up and went to find Aaron, dragging her back to his room for her to look it over. Next, he found Lee, then Kurdy and finally Mister Smith to look things over before ever going to the council with this.

When he showed them the map and the notes Mal had made, the others simply sat there staring at the thin sheet of onion skin over the map, shocked that someone knew all of this and had planned ahead of time. Smith piped up then and brought everyone's attention back to him. "Kurdy, remember the six 'ghosts' we saw in South Dakota…the one with the Coyote skin on his head, he said 'The Great Spirit has sent us to give you warning of a great battle that will come soon upon the plains. You must be prepared or all will be lost. You will have some time to prepare but use it wisely. You will find one that knows of the old ways but lives in the now. This one will help you to defeat the demon from the east.'"

Kurdy nodded, "Yeah…and then they disappeared. That was two days before we came across the Horse Tribe."

Marcus looked between the two, "Six Indians?" he asked

Kurdy and Smith both nodded, "Yeah. Why?"

Marcus frowned. "I had a dream when I was in the infirmary with six Indians in it." He gave a quick description of them and explained what he'd been told they were doing.

Kurdy and Smith raised their eyebrows, then Kurdy spoke up. "That pretty much fits with the six we saw up in South Dakota..." The two men then slowly looked at Smith who had been staring at the map.

He looked at them when the quiet gave him a hint that something was up. He blinked as he realized the two men were staring at him, "What?!" he asked, sounding surprised. "Hey, just because something wishes to interfere or help in their own way doesn't always mean that God or the Great Spirit sent them. Don't look at me…I've got no news on any of this."

Marcus sighed and simply shook his head. He looked back at the map. This was one of the best plans he'd seen and he agreed to get the council together the next morning to start going over what needed to be done.


	12. Chapter 12

The snow began to melt as if overnight everything had changed in a heartbeat. It was mid-March and the weather was beginning to change to something a bit warmer. Marcus spent most of his time holed up with the members of the Alliance and local towns, going over supply lists and what was needed for the near future. They had a game plan in place and were just waiting for things to clear a bit more before they headed out to act.

The council meeting was in session when Marus received a call from the front gate about an issue they were having that needed his attention. He sighed and when he couldn't get details out of the guard as to what the issue was so he gave the members a break so that he could see what was going on. The others, out of curiosity, simply followed him up and out to the front gate.

When the gates opened, they were met with a sight that could have made anyone feel they had stepped back in time. Scattered in the area before the bridge was a herd of brown, tan and black mustangs. Upon the backs of a handful were Indians, dressed in leathers and jeans, riding bareback and carrying spears or bow and arrows. When they saw Marcus and the others come out through the doors, they let up a war whoop that sent shivers up everyone's spine.

Three of the Indians broke off and walked their horses across the bridge to stand in front of Marcus. Mal was one of the three, her eyes constantly scanning the surrounding area. When the three came up to the council, she drew up and looked down at him with a slight smile. "I said I would return and I have. These are the other Chiefs of the other two towns within the Horse Tribe. We bring horses and warriors to teach some of your people to be scouts. We feel they will be vital in your war against the Eastern Demon." She remained quiet then and the other two men nodded in agreement.

Marcus knew he had to be the diplomat and nodded. "We welcome any and all help. Please, come inside and take your ease. We have called a meeting of the Council and Alliance leaders to go over final strategies before we begin preparations. The horses can go anywhere you wish them to be. We will try to provide as much fodder as we can for them." Marcus motioned to the large doors and the three Chiefs of the Horse Tribe entered and led their horses to the makeshift stables set up for the teamsters.

Once the horses were settled, the Council and the Chiefs began to make their way back to the meeting room. Marcus lingered behind just a bit as he saw Mal checking over the hooves of her mustang. She finally made her way out from the stall and went to fill their troughs with water. As Marcus approached her, she didn't seem to notice that he was there until she quickly turned on him, grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him into a deep kiss.

His surprise kept him from responding at first but when he realized what had happened, he blinked and then relaxed, feeling her lips upon his as he responded in kind. When she pushed him away a little, her hand still on his shirt, she looked up into his eyes. She said nothing as he stared back down at her. Finally he spoke up, "Wow…" was all he could sat at first, then "Mal…I've missed you more than anyone here could understand."

Mal bit her lip a little, "I came back as soon as I could. I…Do you remember what I told you happened when I first set eyes on you?" she asked, her face puzzled a little.

Marcus blinked, leaning towards her, "Well I dreamed that you told me you fell in love with me the first time you laid eyes on me when I came through those big gate doors."

He saw her give a little shiver and looked away for a moment. "I dreamed you told me that you felt you would never love another after Marsha gave her life to save all of us. You said that you didn't know what it was about me but you couldn't get me off your mind and you had fallen in love with me…you were just afraid to admit it."

Marcus blinked and let out a soft moan as his head met her forehead. "I wasn't going crazy. I thought it was all a dream but I didn't know if I should trust it or not…" He couldn't finish because Mal had pulled him back into a deep kiss that he quickly responded to. When the kiss was broke, she seemed breathless and her pupils were dilated some. She took several deep breaths and then regained her composure.

She looked up at him again, "When this is all over, we will be free to make choices for our own lives. But until then, the others need us both." She said, taking his arm and guiding him toward the elevators that would take them to the council chamber where the others were waiting on them.


	13. Chapter 13

Spring came too quickly and the sun melted away the snow, swelling rivers and streams. The damns and bridges were blown up or on some, spans were removed to make them inoperable. Mal and two others spent a month with those chosen to be scouts. When they weren't working on learning to communicate and gain their horses trust, they were learning the fine details of tracking, scouting and how to blend into their surroundings without getting caught.

The hours were long and Mal and Marcus stayed apart on purpose to keep their minds focused on the task at hand. But though the winter had provided much needed water, the spring was dryer than normal, making things a little more easy to traverse and wok through but as the temperatures began to rise on the plains and things began to dry, Mal came to the council late one evening and spoke to them about a final plan that could end the war before it got too far started.

She explained that the plains had gone many many years without fire. Fire was how nature renewed itself and replenished things that were lacking. The fields in Kansas and Nebraska were teaming with layers of dried grass, weeds and all manners of things. The plains anywhere in the plains states were in similar conditions. If they timed things just right, they could set fires along the way to dog Daniels troops, forcing them in directions the Alliance wanted them to go, but it would add a layer of danger and vulnerability as the plains burned unattended. Smoke would be thick and many things could burn including people.

The only thing the scouts could do is warn people, get them off the plains and into the mountains away from the threat and make sure there was nothing left in the way of supplies that could be destroyed. If they started now, they could have the northern half of the plains cleared of herd animals, people and supplies before starting a fire and letting nature do the rest.

The council members and the members of the Alliance seemed to be a little nervous about this but they agreed that it could take care of many problems along the way and help clear debris and areas that could be opened to farming again when the war was over. Marcus and the rest of the leaders gave a cautioned agreement to it. But he expressed how much they needed to be cautious but it needed to be done soon.

Mal nodded and took off with her troop of scouts to start from the Wyoming and South Dakota borders and make their way south east. They encountered very few people and little in the way of supplies. Mal had known this was how it might be but things could always change in the days when last they were checked. No fields had been planted, no crops growing and the few people they encountered were already heading west since rumor of war was coming. They didn't wish to be involved or they were the type that simply wished to be left in peace.

As they traversed the plains, small groups of scouts and Indians broke off and were staged to monitor certain access points across the Missouri river. They were simply to scout and do nothing unless troops were coming across in a place they were not meant to. They could be routed with the use of fire and sabatoge to go where the Alliance wanted them to.


	14. Chapter 14

Marcus got word that the troops of Daniel were gathering east of the Missouri river by late May and he knew that within a few short weeks, the fate of the nation would be decided upon. He got anti-aircraft guns mounted in certain areas along the mountain ridges to destroy the choppers and planes that might try to bomb them. Any large guns were placed in pre-determined areas and the guise of ill-equipped and an army of destitute and scragglers was presented. It was all a game of cat and mouse now.

A week later, Marcus received word that the troops had managed to cross the Missouri and that several fires had to be started along the way to drive those trying to come in on the northern side of things back to the south. The Platte River had proven to be a perfect delay tactic when bridges were shown to be washed away or destroyed. The deceptive nature of the shallow, sand bar heavy river took its tool as thousands of troops moved across it.

The scouts reported back that several hundred people had died due to quick sand or from getting stuck and being run over by their own equipment. Equipment was bogged down and stuck and had to be slowly retrieved with man power. They finally had to find two narrow places to cross and chop down trees to lay a foundation of logs on the riverbed to get the rest across.

Wildfires across the plains to the north and several to east drove the troops further west and south to avoid the smoke and destructive nature of the fires. Nature did its part in fueling the flames by keeping things dry or to bring up enough wind to move it farther south. Smoke could be seen for miles and the haze in the sky could be deceptive and annoying.

Daniels scouts reported back to the Generals of his troops that a small army was amassing on the far western edge of Kansas before it dropped into Colorado. The report was given that they seemed disorganized but were trying to build up enough to battle against Daniels troops. Several days later, a stampeding herd of buffalo and cows came own through the valley Daniels troops had been camping in. It was early morning when the earth rumbled and shook with the pounding of hooves.

Fire had 'spooked' the herds into fleeing and the destruction of hundreds upon hundreds of buffalo and cattle was more than the Alliance could have hoped for. Only sixty head were lost and though Daniels troops had fresh steak that night, many of the troops were starting to question the wisdom of attacking Thunder Mountain. Supplies and equipment had been destroyed in the stampede and it left them struggling to regain a semblance of order to those troops.

By the time they reached the battle field, they had lost more equipment in the bog that had formed from the destroyed dam, running water down through the fields and reclaiming the wetlands turned farmland back into wetlands again. Fires continued to spread along the grasslands and prairies unchecked, causing it hard for aircraft to find targets as they flew over.

The night before the attack, many of the Indians still stationed in the mountains had situated themselves in several areas around the camps and began to beat on drums and singing their native songs with high pitched voices and strong rhythm. They kept this up all night though the Alliance troops had known about it and passed out the ear plugs before things got started that night.


End file.
